1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a centrifugal, magnetic and screening separator for use in purifying a liquid by separating undesired solid adulterating matter, components or constituents, heavier or more dense than the liquid, but carried by the liquid therefrom.
By way of example only, the liquid may be lubricating oil, a hydraulic fluid, such as used in vehicular power steering, transmission, or brake systems, or other hydraulic systems, or metal working fluids. The heavier or more dense adulterating matter, components or constituents that this separator is intended to separate from the liquid passing therethrough are solid contaminants including metallic and non-metalic particles and flakes. The metal particles and flakes may be magnetically attractable, or they may not.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Separators of the centrifugal type for separating the heavier or more dense components including contaminants such as solid particles from a liquid in which the fluid is passed through a spirally or helically wound conduit having apertures therein through which the heavier components of the fluid pass outwardly, under the influence of centrifugal force, into a receiving chamber within a housing are known in the prior art as shown by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,706,383; 3,768,658; 3,875,061; and 3,951,813 all of which were issued to James R. Palma. In all of the Palma patents just enumerated, means is provided for rotating the spiral conduit through which the fluid passes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,875,061--Palma, which is included in the list of patents just enumerated, shows the additional feature that magnetic means is provided contiguous the discharge apertures of the spirally wound conduit to magnetically attract and retain any magnetic or magnetizable metallic particles such as ferrous particles which may be centrifugally discharged through the apertures of the spiral conduit.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,346,117 to Charles B. Page, Jr., discloses a de-emulsifying apparatus for separating two fluids such as oil and water which comprises a non-rotating spirally wound coil having a relatively short radius of curvature to cause fluids flowing through the conduit to be subjected to centrifugal force such force tending to separate the heavier constituents of the fluid from the lighter constituents thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,768,550 issued to Stephen I. Fekete and U.S. Pat. No. 3,528,552 issued to Albert E. Martin both relate to apparatus for removing deleterious particles from a liquid in which the liquid having the particles therein is directed into a conical chamber in such manner as to have a centrifugal flow characteristic in the conical chamber which causes the deleterious particles to be thrown outwardly whereby to cause any ferrous or other magnetic or magnetizable particles to move into proximity to a magnetic means which attracts and retains such particles.
German Pat. No. 1,160,130 discloses a centrifugal separator comprising a non-rotating spiral conduit having apertures therein through which the heavier or denser constituents in a fluid are centrifugally ejected, and further including magnet means positioned contiguous the discharge path of material ejected through the apertures for attracting and retaining magnetic particles in the discharged material.
Russian patent document No. SU-581994 discloses a non-rotating helically-wound tubular conduit for separating magnetic fractions from a stream of ground mineral ore in which the helically-wound conduit is provided with aperture means through which the magnetic fraction passes outwardly of the conduit under the influence of a magnet means whereby to separate the magnetic particles from the rest of the mineral ore.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,606,356--Fisher, shows a liquid purification apparatus for use in a fuel feed system for an internal combustion engine in which the liquid purification apparatus comprises a chamber through which the fuel passes on its way to the carburetor of the internal combustion engine, with a screen being positioned in the upper end of the chamber to screen out deleterious particles before they pass to the carburetor.
Russian patent document No. SU-284,968 discloses a single loop centrifugal separator in which solids may exit from a liquid or gas under the influence of centrifugal force by way of a funnel-like outlet located in a mid-section of such loop adjacent a flow divider.
Russian patent document No. SU-561,573 discloses electromagnetic means for causing magnetically attractable particles to move toward the wall of a separator which the electromagnetic means surrounds.
Throughout the specification and claims, the term "magnetic particles" is used to designate particles which are capable of being magnetically attracted to a magnet, such as ferrous particles which are magnetizable or, alternatively, which are already magnetized.